Teaching You All About Unclogging Drains

Everything you need to know to unclog that drain!

Whether it is a troublesome toilet, a backed-up basement, or a stagnant shower, help is here to get things flowing again. Clogged or slowly flowing drains are among the most common home maintenance chores.

The fact is we all depend on several drains functioning properly every day, so when a drain does begin to act up, it doesn’t take long to get to the top of the list. Not to mention most clogged drains are easily cleared with the proper tools, making this top-priority task one that is quickly crossed off.

Proper equipment is essential for maintaining and clearing household drains. Homes should own at least one plunger for that rainy day, and active families will find a drain auger of some size of great help as well. These tools are easy to use and dependable for getting the job done, and all of them cost far less than a single service call from a drain professional.

Clogged toilets are a common household problem, although with a bit of family or roomie education and some common sense, many times they could have been avoided.

A clogged toilet or commode does not drain when flushed. Water held in the tank of the toilet flows into the bowl, but does not wash away the contents down the drain. Instead the toilet bowl and drain become backed up behind a clog of waste, and the water stays in the bowl. When this happens, do not flush again! Most toilets can hold the contents of a single tank or flush of water without overflowing, but flushing an already backed up toilet is sure to cause a disgusting mess as the sewage flows over the rim of the bowl onto the bathroom floor.

Normally so dependable that we never need to think about how many different things can actually go wrong with it, when a plumbing problem does arise, like a burst or frozen pipe, or a slow or stopped drain, or a backed up basement, or a clogged toilet—it is not always clear just who should be called for help.

Modifications and repairs to water delivery systems should always be performed by a plumber or other contacted professional. When troubles arise in the other plumbing network in the home--the system of drains flowing to the lateral service line, then from the building to the utility main--there exist more options available, both for do-it-yourselfers and those ready to bring in the pros.

Drain cleaning has stayed as up to date as any home improvement area in terms of new tools on the market and in improvements made to old standbys.

Your modern drain servicing professional has a remarkably high-tech selection of tools at their disposal. Examples include remote operated video cameras for inspection of plumbing, and precision-machined high-pressure sprayers used in jet-washing of sewers.

But a homeowner can handle most household clogs on their own if they have just one or two inexpensive tools. A plunger and / or a handheld drain auger appropriate for the troublesome drain(s) makes up its cost in the first saved service call to a pro. But with such a wide variety of plungers and drain snakes available, consumers must be informed about their proper use to make the right purchase decisions.

Utility drains are the drains in garages, laundry rooms, basements, and outdoor areas. Most of these areas will have drainage of some form, the most common being a basic drain in the floor leading to the wastewater line for the house.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Sinks in utility areas are often different than those found in kitchens and bathrooms. Utility sinks in most homes are deeper basins with a separate stopper plug, unlike bathroom lavatory basins. Laundry sinks also usually lack a disposal unit as you find attached to many kitchen sinks. Some utility sink setups even forgo the standard U-trap, and instead dump into or near a floor drain nearby. This may sound crude, but in areas where the floor is easily and frequently washed, catching and collecting all the waste matter that is rinsed down the sink can prevent larger problems from arising.